Craig Russel

Craig Russell is more than an artist. He is a survivor, a storyteller, and a visionary who transformed years of incarceration into a body of work that speaks for the silenced.

Growing up in the foster care system, Craig discovered art as a way to escape the instability of his reality. Later, after nearly a decade in prison for a non-violent drug offense, he turned that escape into resistance. Self-taught and relentless, Craig began using his paintings to confront the systems that had defined his life — mass incarceration, over-policing, and the criminalization of Black communities in America.

His work is layered with meaning. Orange represents prison. Teal recalls the color of his cell door. Leather stitched into his murals symbolizes Black bodies subjected to systems of oppression. Through these elements, Craig gives form to the trauma of mass supervision, police brutality, and the disproportionate incarceration of Black men in America. Each piece is not only a reflection of his years inside but also a demand that we see and remember.

Craig’s art has reached far beyond prison walls. His work has been featured at Rutgers University, the Truth to Power exhibition during the Democratic National Convention, and Columbia University’s State Goods: Art in the Era of Mass Incarceration. His voice has been amplified by platforms like The Washington Post, The Guardian, The New York Times, and The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Through his fellowship with Right of Return and the Ford Foundation’s Art for Justice, Craig continues to create, mentor, and reclaim space for those silenced by incarceration. At I_am_HUMAN, we proudly support Craig’s art, knowing that every brushstroke is both personal and political — a testament to resilience, and a vision of what justice could look like.

Craig Russell paints so we remember. His art is his freedom, and through it, he helps us imagine our own.